Frequently Asked Questions

Start by exploring neighborhoods on our homepage or using the interactive map. Once you've found a neighborhood you're interested in, click through to see all evaluated buildings in that area. Each building listing shows its address, safety score, and basic details like when it was built and how many units it has.

When you click on a specific building, you'll see a detailed scorecard breaking down inspection results by category. This helps you understand not just the overall score, but specific strengths or concerns about the building's exterior, interior, safety maintenance, and documentation practices.

Use our interactive map feature to search for buildings by address. You can access the map from the navigation bar at the top of any page. The map includes a search box where you can type in an address or location.

Alternatively, if you know which neighborhood your building is in, you can browse that neighborhood's page to see all evaluated buildings listed with their scores. Each neighborhood page shows buildings organized with their addresses and scores clearly displayed.

Buildings are scored on a 100-point scale based on their inspection results. The color coding helps you quickly assess building quality:

• Green (80-100): Good condition. These buildings meet or exceed basic standards with few issues.
• Yellow (60-79): Fair condition. These buildings have some deficiencies but are addressing them.
• Red (below 60): Needs attention. These buildings have significant issues requiring improvement.

The city average is 88, which gives you a helpful benchmark when evaluating buildings. Individual inspection items within each building are also color-coded to show which areas passed or need work.

Each building page includes comprehensive information from the city's evaluation:

• Overall safety score and evaluation date
• Building details (address, year built, number of units and storeys)
• Neighborhood location
• Detailed inspection results organized into four categories: Exterior, Interior, Safety & Maintenance, and Documentation
• Status for dozens of specific inspection items (like balcony guards, elevator maintenance, common area cleanliness, pest control logs, and more)

This level of detail helps you understand exactly what was inspected and where any issues were found, giving you a complete picture beyond just the overall score.

A low score means the building didn't meet certain property standards during its evaluation. Here's what you can do:

• Review the detailed inspection results to understand specific issues
• Raise concerns with your landlord or property management
• Contact 311 to report ongoing maintenance or safety issues
• Know your rights as a tenant through the Landlord and Tenant Board

Remember that scores can improve. Buildings are re-evaluated periodically, and landlords who address issues will see their scores increase in future evaluations.

To report building maintenance or safety issues to the City of Toronto, contact 311 either by phone or through the city's 311 service. They can help you file formal complaints about property standards violations.

You can also document issues and discuss them with your landlord first. If problems persist, the Landlord and Tenant Board can help mediate disputes and enforce maintenance standards.

We'd love to hear from you. If you have questions, suggestions, or feedback about the website, you can reach us at [email protected].

For questions about the RentSafeTO program itself or specific building inspections, please contact the City of Toronto directly through 311 or visit their official RentSafeTO program page.